Lies and Damn Lies

This morning I was reading an article on how right wing pressure groups in the US, opposed to healthcare reform, are using statistics on the NHS as proof of the 'great evil' that is socialised medicine. Some of these statistics are true, some are grounded in truth, and others are just plain manufactured. But statistics can be used to make any point when used like this.

To me, the only statistic that matters is this: in the UK, 100% of people have access to healthcare - regardless of wealth, employment status, employer, length of employment or previous medical conditions. Oh, and not to bring rankings into this, but American healthcare is ranked only 37th in the world. Those are the statistics this debate should be about.